Filling-feeler mechanism for looms



Aug. 10 1926.

s. s. JAcKsoN FILLINFG FEELER MECHANISM FOR LOOMS Filed Oct. 11. '1923' 5 Sheets-Sheet 1 Aug. 10 1926s s. s. JACKSON FILLING FEELER MECHANISM FOR LOOMS Filed Oct. ll. 1923 I5 Sheets--Shee'l 2 SM s M 9 a 5 n 9 e h hw Q l S L e e h S s M5 O O L R O Fx N 9 owl SI N. KMU. mm

t JMG .R0 swd .Em SE1 FF G. N I L L I F Aug' s Patented Aug. 10, 1926.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

SIMEONS". JACKSON, vGF BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS, ASSIGNOR TO THE STAFFORD COM" PANY, *OFl BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS, A CORPORATION F MASSACHUSETTS.

`FILLINGFEELER MECHANISM FOZRLOOMS.

Application filed October 11, 1923. Serial No. 667,834.

The invention has relation in general to the depletion-detecting mechanisms, commonly termed feeler mechanisms, which are employed in looms for the purpose of torestalling complete exhaustion of the supply ot wett or filling contained in theV working shuttle upon the lay-beam of a loom. These mechanisms 1n general are contrived to call, or indicatej7 or initiate,7 as it isl variously termed, a change in the operation ot the loom, upon detecting that the progressive depletion of the said supplyv has reached a stage decided upon as a minimum. This change involves in some cases autof matic replenishing of the working supply of the weft or filling without stoppage of the loom; in others it involves stoppage ot the loom, with automatic replenishment during the stoppage, followed by automatic restarting of the loom.

The invention has relation more especially to feeler mechanisms ot the measuring class. A teeler mechanism of this class is ariangedto` call the aforesaid change in the operation of the loom in which it is employed, when, through its measuring action, it has detected that the residue of weft or filling upon the bobbin or other weft or tilling-carrier in the shuttle has become reduced, to the predetermined minimum thickness.

The object of the invention is to provide measuring 'eeler mechanism of improved character, and ot simple and durable construction; also reliable in operation.

The invention consists essentially in measuring illing-'eeler mechanism having a fill? ing-ieeler member, a datum-surface-engaging member combined therewith, preferably arranged to cooperate with the front wall of a loom shuttle, moving forwardly and rearwardly with the iilling-teeler member and adapted to swing transversely in a horizontal plane when acted uponby the datumsurface, a latch controller constituted by a bolt that is linked to the said datum-surface engaging member and that controls the latch of the change-calling mechanisms vertically,v and a spring operating to hold said bolt and datum-surface-engaging member in their normal positions with the latch out of the path of the actuator which cooperates therewith.

An illustrative embodiment ot the invention is shown in the accompanying draw- A ings, combined with certain loom parts of with the said' embodiment of the invention Y mounted in operative position thereon.

Fig. 3 is a view of the devices' shown in Figs. 1 and?, in section on line 3,- 3," ot Fig. 1, looking in the direction ofV the'arrows.

Fig. 4 is a view in section on line 4, 4, ot Fig. 1, looking in the direction of the arrows.

Figs. 5 and 6 are sectional'det'ails onlines 5, 5, and 6,76, respectively, of Fig. 1, o'n a slightly larger scale than the preceding figures.

Having reference to the"drawings,-

At 1 is the lay-beam', a shuttle 2 being' represented as occupying the shuttle-box that is shown in Figs. 1 an'd3, and' a bobbin 3 with its woundV mass of weft or' filling 4 being illustrated as occupying said shuttle 2.

At 7 is the tillinglengagingportion of a iilling-feeler member' 8 adaptedto enter the shuttle through the'usual slotsl 59 and 61 in the shuttle-box front-plate 5 and the front shuttle wall, respectively, as' the lay comes forward in beating up.` This filling-engaging member 8,` and the means and mannerV of supporting the1 same, may vary in practice. Prei'er'ably, though noti necessarily always in practice, the said member is, as shown, a slide mounted'in` guides 9 and 10 on a teeler-stand 11, and held rearward in its normal presentation positionby'the action of an expanding. spiral spring 12 surroundingva? rod-like reduced forward end-portion 81 of the :teeler-slide, the said spring being confined between the forward guide 10 and a shoulder 13 upon the feder-slide'. The' said normal" presentation position is determined through contact off shoulders 14, 14, that project laterally from the slide with the' forward end of guideway 9, as in Fig. 1. The feeler-slide 8 is retained inplace within guide 9 by a cover-plate 15 overlyingfthe teelerslide and secured on guide 9 by screws 16, 16. As usual, the Contact ofthe shuttle-contents with the rear end-surface 71 of the portion 7` of the member 8 as the lay advances produces forward movement of the said mein bei' 8.

The datum-surfaceeengaging memberconr prises a lever 18 that is pivoted upon a stud 1,9 extending upward from the lilling-feeler member S, the said lever being held on said stud by a Cotter-pin 20. As this lever is intended to receive a tuining impulse, in this instance in a horizontal plane, from' the forwardly moving datum-surface which acts thereagainst, in this instance the outer surface of the front wall of the` shuttle body, and to transmit a transverse movement to the controller-bolt 30 coopeiating with the latch E38 ofthe change-calling mechanism, it is conve iently formed in the shape of a bellcrank, Figs. 1, 2, and 3, having an inwardly A'projecting arm 22 provided with a shuttlecontactingtip 21, and a forwardlyproject ing arm 2av to which the latch-controlling7 bolt is Vlinked by connections presently d'escribed herein. The shuttle-contacting tip `21 of the datum-surface-engaging member is a screw which 'is screwed intoA a vhole in the inwardlyprojecting arm 22 of lever 18, with its contacting end projecting rearwardly from said arm, the said screw being Isecured in adjusted position lby the locknut 23.

The saidl tip 21 is so adjusted in practice that until the filling-mass within the shuttle approximates the predetermined mini mum the forward push ofthe periphery of such mass against 'the end-surface 71 of the filling-feeler member S will carry both members 8 and 18 forward without contact ot the datuni-surface of theshuttle with the pivot 1S) will not be suiiicient to withdraw controller-bolt 30 far enough to cause latch 33 to move into position to be engaged by the actuator 37 therefor until the said residue ,has become reduced tothe predetermined n'iiniinum, y v l l rElie controller-bolt 30 aforesaid, by means ofwhichtlie latch 33 of the change-calling mechanism is controlled vertically, extends transversely of the loomand occupies a bore 41 in a small stand 31 fixedv on breast-beam 32 closely adjacent the latch 33. As usual, the said latch is pivoted at 34 to the up standing arm 35 fixed on the controllerrockshaft 36, which rextends transversely across the looinand is connected with the other members of thechange-calling mechanisin (not show-ii), The latch 33 is shown mounted as heretofore to overhang the osv.,cillating weft-hammer 37, which latter is employed as an actuator, asl usual in' iractice, and so that when the latch is allowed to drop it will be engaged by the shoulder 38 of the weft-hammer as the latter moves forwaid, and thereby be driven forward to -rotate controller-rockshaft 36 to call the change.

rlhe forwardly extending arm 24: of lever 18 is combined operatively with the controller-bolt 30, in this instance by means of a shackle 26 and wire 25. The said shackle is connected' pivotally to the said arm by means of a depending pin 2T carried by the shackle, which is entered into one of several holes :28 in the said arm 24, the pin rbeing .secured within the hole into which it is inserted by a Cotter pin'271 below the arm. rifhe shackle is in adjustable screw-threaded engagement with the outer end of the wire 25, a suitable lock-nut being employed, as at 261. The inner end 29 of the wire Q5 is turned down at right anOles and hooked in a hole in the bolt 30, the said inner end being held in the said hole by a Cotter-pin 291. The purpose in having several holes 28 in the forwardly extending arm ot' the lever 18 is to provide for giving the required amplitude of endwise movement to the latch-controller bolt SOby enabling the shackle 26 to be engaged with the said arm at different distances from the lever pivot 19. rlhe length of the screwthreaded portion of connneoting wire 25 is great enough to permit of such adjustment of the said wire and the shackle Q6 with respect to each other as may be required in order to vary the total length of the connections between lever 18 and bolt 30 to compensate foi' the range of adjustments of the feeler-stand 11 transversely inward and out ward necessary for placing the feeler-ineinbers in proper working positions relative to the slot of the particular shuttle einployed, and the filling-mass contained within such shuttle.

At 4:3 is the spring which serves to give the datuinsurface-engaging member its normal presentation position, and incidentally to give the controller-bolt 30 its normal position which holds the latch out of the path ofthe actuator. rlhe said spring in this instance is a contracting spiral spring having one end thereof engaged with a collar 4:5 that is xed adjustably upon the wire 25, and theother end tliereof'engaged with a lug 44 of the bolt-guiding stand 31. In this embodiment of the invention, the bolt coacts with the downturned portion of the wire 39, 'such wire having a screw-threaded stem that is screwed into a hole in the latch 33 and made fast by a locknut Ll2, the said downturned portion having its extremity bent to extend fore-and-aft, with a downwardly facing convexity for Contact with the top of the bolt. In thisinstance the bolt is formed with a beveled end 60 that is adapted to raise the latch as the bolt is moved longitudinally inward by the action of the spring 43, the bolt serving when in its normal inward position to keep the latch elevated, as shown best in Fig. 5. A stop-pin 47 carried by the bolt 3() engages with the outer vend of the stand 3l, so as to limit the inward movement of the bolt 30 under the pull ot' the spring 43.

Normally the controller-bolt 30 is held by the spring 43 in the position represented in Figs. l, 2, 5, and 6, in which it supports the latch 33 in the elevated position that is shown in Fig. 4, with its engaging end out of the path of the shoulder 38 of the actuator 37. lVhen the lever 18 is rotated around its pivot 19 through action ot' the datumsurface on the shuttle against the tip 2l, the controller-bolt is withdrawn from under the wire 39 so as to permit the latch 33 to drop into the path of shoulder 38. The downwardly facing convexity of the lower portion of the wire 39 enables the wire to ride up on the inner end of the controller-bolt 30 as the latch goes rearwardly with the rearwardly swinging actuator 37, atter having been advanced by the forward stroke of said actuator, the controller-bolt having been permitted to resume its inward position under the action or the spring 43 as the lay swings rearward and relieves the pressure of the datum-surface against tip 2l.

The Jeeler-stand l1 in this instance is mounted upon a forward extension 50 of a supporting arm 51 which is attached by bolts 53, 53, to a bracket 55 extending outward from the breast-beam 32. Fore-andaft adjustment of the Yfeeler-stand is provided `for, as usual in practice, by means of a slot 48 in the feeler-stan-d l1 occupied by a bolt 49 which holds the stand to said extension 50. As usual, also, adjustment of the feeler-stand transversely of the loom is provided for by means ot transversely eX- tending slots 52, 52, occupied by the bolts 53, 53, aforesaid, which hold the supporting arm to the said bracket 55 projecting outward from the breast-beam 32. The capacity for transverse adjustment enables the eeler-stand to be given a position which will enable the feeler-members to enter the slots 59 and 61 in the front-plate 5 and shuttle body, respectively, and the fore-and-a't't adjustment provides for setting the 'eelerstand so that the feeling action of the eelermembers shall take place at the proper point in the advancing movement of the lay.

That is claimed as the invention is l. ln lilling-iceler mechanism for looms, comprising an actuator, a latch adapted to be engaged thereby, and a teeler-member adapted to be engaged by the shuttle contents, the combination therewith of a datumengaging member moving forwardly and rearwardly7 with the said ieeler-member and adapted to swing transversely in a horizontal plane when acted upon by the datum-surface, an endwise movable bolt linked to said datum-engaging member and through its endwise movement controlling the position of the latch vertically with relation to said actuator, andV a spring by which said bolt and datum-engaging member are held in their normal positions.

2. In iilling-'teeler mechanism for looms, the combination with an actuator, a latch adapted to be engaged thereby, a illingeeler member, and a datum-engaging member, pivotally mounted upon said eelermember, oi' an endwise movable bolt linked to the said Idatum-engaging member and through its endwise movement controlling the position of the latch vertically, and a spring holding said bolt and datum-engaging member in their normal positions.

3. Filling-feeler mechanism for looms comprising, in combination, an actuator, a latch adapted to engage therewith, a eelermember adapted to engage the shuttle contents, a bell-crank pivoted upon said Imeelermember having one end adapte-d to be engaged by a datum-surface, and a controller combined with the said bell-crank comprising a longitudinally reciprocable transversely movable bolt which at one extreme of its' endwise movement holds the latch normally raised out of engagement with the wett1 hammer and in being withdrawn when the bell-crank is rotated through contact with the shuttle wall lets the latch drop into engagement with the weit-hammer.

SIMEON S. JACKSON. 

